PFCHid64.dll not supporting PFC430 hardware

[zfehr]

I am using a serial port PFC Cirrus II BATD with PFCcom64 and FSUIPC7 in MSFS without difficulty. I was waiting on RealityXP to release MSFS versions of their GNS430/530 which I now believe will never happen. The PFC430 is a USB standalone unit which works well with xPlane v9 (FAA certified version) and FSX, I am able to get FSUIPC to recognize buttons on the PFC430 and could program them to another function if needed but since they are working with the RXP software there is no need. In MSFS2020 FSUIPC does not recognize button pushes on the PFC430 hardware and I am unable to assign any function to them. I read the very few posts that might have relevance and tried creating a PFC.mcro file to see if that was the problem but it made no difference. I have attached the PFChid64 files for reference.

PFChid64.ini PFChid64.log

[Pete Dowson]

7 hours ago, zfehr said:

The PFC430 is a USB standalone unit which works well with xPlane v9 (FAA certified version) and FSX, I am able to get FSUIPC to recognize buttons on the PFC430 and could program them to another function if needed but since they are working with the RXP software there is no need.

Are you using PFChid.dll with FSUIPC4?

7 hours ago, zfehr said:

In MSFS2020 FSUIPC does not recognize button pushes on the PFC430 hardware and I am unable to assign any function to them.

Using the same settings as in FSUIPC4 there should be no difference at all.  As far as PFChid64.dll is concerned the only difference at all from PFChid.dll is the re-compilation as a 64-bit module instead of 32 bit.

The log appears to show that the device hung and stopped processing data sent to it, hence continuous buffer full errors.

Pete

 

[zfehr]

Yes I am using PFChid.dll with FSUIPC4. I am mistaken on being able to recognize and program the buttons on the PFC430 in FSX though. I am sure I was able to on an earlier version but the present version is also absent in FSX.

I have included the files for FSX to compare.

Not sure if the sim will recognize input from the PFC430. I have tried it leaving the PFChid64.dll out of the FSUIPC7 folder and that did not make a difference.

PFChid.ini PFChid.log

[zfehr]

The RXP Garmin 430/530 work in FSX as well as in xPlane v9 and the PFC test GUI program verifies all buttons and knobs are functioning and sending a signal to the computer.

[zfehr]

Here is the joyscan file.

FSUIPC7.JoyScan.csv

[Pete Dowson]

16 hours ago, zfehr said:

The RXP Garmin 430/530 work in FSX

You contradicted this in your previous message

17 hours ago, zfehr said:

I am mistaken on being able to recognize and program the buttons on the PFC430 in FSX though. I am sure I was able to on an earlier version but the present version is also absent in FSX.

So, I am now thoroughly confused. If it works with PFChid.dll in FSX it must also work with PFChid64.dll in P3D4/5 and MSFS. Are you now saying it doesn't work with either?

BUT I have never seen a PFC GPS device and therefore have never developed anything for it.  As it is recognised by the Scan then there's a possibility that some of the command blocks it sends to the PC are actually covered already by the PFC driver I wrote, but there are probably parts which it won't recognise. There's also the possibility that it operates as a Joystick type device in which can the buttons and switches should be visible to Windows and therefor FS and MSFS without the need for a driver.

I haven't done any development work for PFC devices for a long, long time. I assumed PFC only sold the newer devices for use with X-Plane. Did they say it worked with FS?

I am retired now and not really able to do further developments. It might be better if you asked PFC about it.

Pete

 

[zfehr]

I appreciate that you looked this over Pete. We met a long time ago in Seattle at an AVSIM event. The Reality XP Garmin 430/530 work in FSX and xPlane using the PFC430 hardware. It was an earlier version of probably both the PFChid and FSUIPC that I could get the buttons and knob events to be recognized in FSUIPC. That is no longer the case and FSUIPC doesn't recognize input from the PFC430 hardware in either FSX or MSFS2020. MSFS2020 does recognize the PFC430 as a USB device but does not recognize any button presses or knob turns. At this stage it probably won't work and since PFC have moved on with a different head unit incorporating the Garmin into their radio stack I doubt they will want to look at a legacy unit like this. I have been able to program the GPS buttons on the PFC radio stack to control most of the functions for flight so will have to settle on that. It is curious that the PFC430 hardware is recognized as  USB device but no recognition of the buttons/knobs.

[Pete Dowson]

7 hours ago, zfehr said:

The Reality XP Garmin 430/530 work in FSX and xPlane using the PFC430 hardware. It was an earlier version of probably both the PFChid and FSUIPC that I could get the buttons and knob events to be recognized in FSUIPC. That is no longer the case and FSUIPC doesn't recognize input from the PFC430 hardware in either FSX or MSFS2020.

This is very strange as nothing has been changed for many years -- just the conversion to 64 bit in the case of PFChid64.dll.  The current PFChid was last built in July 2017. How many years are you going back for it to have 'worked'?

Pete

 

[zfehr]

On 1/19/2022 at 4:06 AM, Pete Dowson said:

This is very strange as nothing has been changed for many years -- just the conversion to 64 bit in the case of PFChid64.dll.  The current PFChid was last built in July 2017. How many years are you going back for it to have 'worked'?

Pete

 

Probably ten or more years ago. I did have to replace the hardware itself about 5 years ago when the motherboard in it went bad. Possibly something changed at PFC and that is why the earlier one worked. I recall thinking it would be handy if the RXP didn't work in a plane that did have the Garmin radios but that never happened till MSFS2020.